El durmiente Español
by EsmerianDreamer
Summary: Sleeping Beauty AU: At birth, the young prince Antonio has been given 3 wishes by the 3 fairies, and one curse by the evil fairy. The evil fairy makes a bet with the other 3; If their wishes don't come true, she'll turn them into pigs. If they do, she'll burn up. Will the three wishes become true? Will Antonio fall for the princess who's supposed to be his soulmate?
1. Chapter 1

((I'm back~ This new story has been in the back of my head for a while, inspired by the Flemish musical. I hope you guys'll like it!))

The day began like any other. The butcher was chopping up meat, the baker was baking bread for the customers that would soon arrive. The little town of Nadrid near the castle was calm as always so early in the morning. But as more and more people began their day, trumpets sounded in the town square. Everyone quickly ran over to the square. Those trumpets meant something special. A message from the king and queen.

In the square stood a man, who most people recognized as Francis, king Ramon's personal servant. If he was to announce the message, it must've been big news. People whispered to each other. What would be the big news?

Francis smiled at the crowd, beginning to unroll the big scroll in his hands. "People of Nadrid! I bring good news! As you all know, our beloved queen Isabel has been thought infertile ever since the untimely death of our prince Gabriel, 4 years ago."

Everyone gave a respectful nod. The poor boy had been born prematurely. There had been a week of mourning for the lost prince. But Francis said now that he had good news. Had something changed?

"But, you don't need to be sad anymore! For last night, queen Isabel has given birth to a beautiful and healthy son!"

Cheers sounded at the news. A boy! They had a prince! Questions were quickly called, but Francis held up a hand to quiet them, smiling as he read further from the scroll.

"By order of king Ramon and queen Isabel, I hereby invite you all to the birth feast of our prince, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo!"

~At the palace~

It had been long since Isabel heard a baby crying. Way too long. She smiled and walked over to the crib, lifting her son into her arms. "What's with all the tears, niño?~"

She gently checked the baby's diaper, and then concluded little Toño had to be hungry. Sitting down in the rocking chair, she untied her dress to feed him. She smiled lightly as she felt the baby drink. It was a weird feeling, but it did give her a good feeling at the same time. Her baby was alive and healthy.

After burping the baby and recomposing herself, Isabel just held her son in her arms, rocking in her chair. "You are going to be a great king one day."

"Your majesty?" Isabel's personal servant stepped in, bowing to her queen. "The guests will arrive soon. And the king calls for you."

"I'll be there in a minute. Thank you, Saskia." Isabel stood and placed her dozing son in his crib. The crib was on tiny wheels, so a servant would follow Isabel and roll it down to the meeting room where the guests could see the young prince.

Isabel made her way down to the meeting room, finding her husband standing by the fireplace. Seeing his wife and child, Ramon smiled.

"Mi amor, there you are~ And there is our son~" The king fondly stroked his son's cheek, cooing at him. "Hola, niño~ Did you sleep well?~"

The baby just stared at his father sleepishly, green eyes filled with confusion as to why he was woken up from his beginning nap.

"Ramon, I just got him to sleep.." Isabel smiled, gently rocking the crib to lul the baby to sleep again. After a bit, she heard a small yawn, and knew Antonio was fast asleep once again.

That moment wouldn't last very long, for suddenly the lead menial tapped his staff loudly, announcing the guests. The little prince jumped awake yet again, whining softly. The queen sighed, rocking the crib yet again.

Guest after guest came in, bowing to the king and queen, cooing over the prince, and giving presents. Weirdly enough, the prince got mostly wooden building blocks. Not that he could use them yet.. but hey.

Suddenly, they heard a twinkle, which excited everyone. The guests of honor were arriving. The three fairies of the High Lands below the Water. The menial tapped his staff once again.

"Announcing, the three fairies of the High Lands below the Water! Sanne, Bella, and Ida!"

Lights streamed in through the opened door, slowly forming three beautiful fairies. The guests clapped in excitement.

The first fairy was very tall for a fairy. She had long blonde hair, worn in a decorated braid, and the most piercing of olive-green eyes. Some stepped back at how stern her eyes seemed, but others smiled at the hidden kindness behind them. The fairy bowed, lightly lifting the skirt of her red dress.

"Your Majesties. Thank you for your invitation. I am Sanne, the Sympathetic."

The second fairy was shorter and had beautiful flowing brown hair, pinned back with fresh leaves and flowers. Her face was rounder, kinder, and reminded most people of a kind mother, mostly because of the twinkle in her green eyes. She curtsied, also lifting her green skirt a bit.

"Yes, thank you, your majesties. It's an honor. My name is Bella, the Benevolent."

The last fairy seemed to be the youngest, with almost white curly hair in two braids, and big blue eyes. She seemed very innocent, but her eyes showed she wasn't as young as she seemed, but a creature of power.

"And my name is Ida, the Inspiring. If it's alright, may we meet your son, your Majesties?"

"Oh, but of course you can~" Ramon smiled, gently taking Antonio's crib and walking over to the fairies with it. The three looked at the little boy, who stared back at them curiously.

"He's adorable~" Bella cooed, gently poking the baby's nose, who gave a happy noise at that.

"Ja, very cute. Now, as thanks for your invitation, we will perform three wishes on your son," Sanne smiled, getting out her wand. "And because I am the eldest, I'll go first."

A light shone down from the window on the crib as Sanne performed her magic. "Dear Antonio. My wish for you is, that on your 10th birthday, you will meet your soulmate, the person you will grow to love, and be loved by in return."

Sparkles floated down from her wand, landing on Antonio, who curiously made a grab for the shiny things.

"My turn now~" Bella smiled, taking her older sister's place. "Sweet Antonio. My wish for you is, that on your 18th birthday, you will marry said soulmate, and grow old with them, happy for as long as your souls exist."

More sparkles floated down, tickling Antonio's nose, making the baby coo happily.

Ida smiled and took Bella's place, raising her wand. "Precious Antonio. My wish for you is..." She suddenly fell silent, frowning and lowering her wand.

"Ida? Is there something wrong?" Bella asked, gently placing a hand on her little sister's shoulder. Ida frowned some more, looking around.

"I don't know... I feel.. something."

Sanne blinked and tilted her head. "..What do you feel then?"

Ida's eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "..Oh no.." She whispered as candles suddenly blew out and windows slammed shut, darkening the room. Smoke whipped around, forming another fairy.

This fairy felt.. wrong. Even though she was beautiful with her blonde hair in two pigtails and emerald green eyes behind glasses, she just had an air of.. evil.

People whispered to each other in shock. Alice, the fairy of Night. Even the three fairies seemed frightened of the fairy in the black dress.

Alice huffed lightly at the king and queen, who stood there frozen in fright. "Your Majesties," She snarled, giving a sarcastic bow. "Why is it that each time you have one of these famous parties, I never get invited?"

The monarchs seemed to stumble over their own words. They didn't want to offend the fairy, but they knew why they never invited Alice. She was feared by everyone.

"No answer then? I figured. I've had enough of all this. Never invited, never adored, never given a friendly smile. But you know, no ill will. I too will bestow a wish upon the child."

Alice turned to the crib, walking towards it. When the three fairies raised their wands to defend the prince, Alice merely gave a small huff. She waved her hand and threw the trio across the room, making them land in a little heep.

She looked down at Antonio, who looked up at her with wide green eyes, curious but frightened. Alice raised her hands, casting her spell.

"My wish to you, little brat, is that when you turn 18, you will prick your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. Right after, you will die, in utmost agony and fear."

"NO!" Isabel cried, running over to the crib and scooping her son up, who had now begun to cry. Ramon ran over to Alice, trying to reason with her, trying to make her turn her spell back. But Alice just cackled, stepping back and disappearing into thin air.

The whole room had become silent, except for the prince's wailing and the queen's attempts at trying to calm him.

The three fairies walked over cautiously. "Your Majesties..?" Bella was the first to speak up, unsure of how to console the obviously distraught king and queen.

"Please tell me you can do something!" Ramon begged, holding his wife close to try and soothe her and their son.

"We can't, Alice's magic is too powerful, even for us! I'm so sorry, I wish we could do something!" Ida said, tears welling up a bit. Sanne however, seemed to be getting an idea.

"Wait, Ida! You haven't given Antonio a wish yet! You can do something!"

Ida's eyes widened a bit when all eyes were suddenly on her. "M-Me..? I.. But.."

"Please, you have to try! Please save our son! We don't care what it takes!" Isabel begged, shaking. "Just don't let him die! I can't bear losing another child!"

Ida swallowed, thinking. She then nodded. "O-Okay. I think I know a way, but.. you may not like it."

"We don't care. Anything," Ramon said. "Anything to save our son."

Ida nodded, taking a few deep breaths. She held out her hands to the prince. "May I..?"

Isabel nodded, handing her baby over to the fairy, who gently cradled him in one arm, holding up her wand with her free hand.

"Precious Antonio.. My wish to you is, that when you prick your finger on your 18th birthday, you will not die. Instead, you and everyone in the kingdom will fall into a deep 100-year sleep, and only a kiss from your soulmate will wake you from this sleep."

Antonio sniffled softly, but reached out a bit for the sparkles of magic which landed on him. Ida smiled softly, giving the baby back to the queen. "That's all I could do. I'm sorry.."

"Don't be sorry. You just saved my son. Thank you…" The queen said kindly, smiling a bit. The other two fairies smiled at their sister, patting her back.

"We should go now. We will return when Antonio turns 10," Sanne spoke, all three fairies bowing at the monarchs. "It has been a pleasure to be here. We wish you the best of luck in the coming years."

The king and queen bowed back. "And we thank you. Have a safe journey home." Ramon smiled.

The three fairies smiled and disappeared into beautiful lights which flew out of the window. For a few moments, it was silent.

"..There is no reason to be frightened, my friends," Ramon spoke with a big smile. "The danger is gone, we can resume this party. Let us drink, let us dance, let us celebrate the new life in our midst!"

The guests all smiled and nodded. Within minutes, the party was up and going again. People laughed, drank, danced and socialized. The danger of Alice's curse was forgotten within the hour. What was there to worry, Ida's spell would reverse everything.

At least, that was what people desperately tried to believe.


	2. Chapter 2

((Next chapter! This story will probably not be very long in total. ^^ Oh, and Guest? Thank you for the good laugh. I accidently deleted it, but I really liked your review. It went a little like this, right?

"I see you're finally making something original. Hopefully, you have learned from your mistake. But you better not put anything copyrighted in again, or ELSE."

PFFFT- Excuse me? Let me explain why this is so funny.

1: I've made an original story already. It's on hiatus, but it's there. It's original. 'Finally making something original' my ass, it's not like I'm claiming I thought up the fairytale myself without giving credit.

2: I never made a giant mistake in the first place. Yes, song lyrics were there, but I removed them. I gave credit to the rightful owners.

3: Are you.. threatening me? On the internet? OH NO I AM SO SCARED PLEASE FORGIVE ME- *sarcasm end* Seriously dude, you're not my mom.

4: According to the email, which I got from the STAFF, not some reviewer, the only reason my Spaniard and the Beast story was removed was because of the song lyrics. No lyrics, no copyright issue. There will be no lyrics in my new story.

So go back to your basement. You're not wanted here. Your reviews will be laughed at and fed to the fire.

For those who do enjoy my stories without being hissy, here's the next chapter!))

~Ten years later~

Today was a very special day. Today was the day that the prince would turn 10. Today would be the day the fairies' first wish would come true.

Antonio had grown up to be a happy child. He was always kind to everyone, barely made messes, and loved to sing and dance. He had also grown to be a very handsome prince. He had inherited Ramon's wavy brown curls and Isabel's beautiful emerald green eyes. His tan skin seemed to glow, both with happiness and beauty.

"Mama, will I really meet my soulmate today?" Antonio asked, hardly able to sit still from all the excitement. Isabel smiled, watching a servant comb her son's hair back into a more neat hairdo. "You will. It is Sanne the Sympathetic's wish after all~"

"I can't wait!~ Will she be pretty, and kind?" The prince clearly had thousands of questions about this. The queen just chuckled again. "Settle down, cariño. You'll see soon enough."

The king and queen had invited many other monarchs, especially those who had children. Only one king and queen had a child of Antonio's age. King Julius and Queen Luciana of the Green Mountains, down in the South. They had a daughter, Francesca. It had to be faith, it had to be Francesca who was destined to be Antonio's soulmate.

Right?

A few hours later, the guests began to arrive, gathering in the big garden. Antonio, all suited up and pretty, greeted each of them kindly. Some of them he greeted with a hug, others with a handshake. He was told many times how big he was getting, asked if he was excited to meet his soulmate, congratulated on being 10 now. Antonio kept smiling, even though his insides were twisting with anxiety.

What would Francesca be like? His father had told him she had to be the one because they were the same age and both of royal blood. It had to be faith. He looked out at all the guests, suddenly growing a little overwhelmed. Antonio went to sit down somewhere, taking a breather.

Shrill hooting made him smile and look up. There was Gabriel, his owl. Antonio had named him after his late older brother after hearing about him, and mostly because the little owl had the most intense look, even after he fell out of the nest as a chick. Antonio just felt this was his brother looking after him in some way.

He held out his arm, letting Gabriel flutter down and land on his wrist. The owl couldn't fly very well, mostly because of that fall when he was young which malformed his wings.

"Hey, Gaby~ Today is a special day. I'm finally meeting my soulmate, isn't it great?"

Gabriel hooted, cleaning his wings with his beak a bit. Antonio smiled. "I do hope she'll like you too. You'll be nice to her, okay?"

Gabriel hooted again, fluttering his wings. Antonio gently tapped the owl's beak. "Promise?" Gabriel just nuzzled him, giving the prince's finger an affectionate nip.

"Good~" Antonio smiled, petting the owl. He sat there for a while, watching the guests and letting Gabriel nuzzle his neck. Loud trumpet noises made the owl flutter back up into the tree with a small alarmed hoot.

"Presenting, his royal Majesty, king Julius of the Green Mountains, and his wife, her royal Majesty, queen Luciana of the Green Mountains!"

A tanned man with bright, almost golden hair came into view. He seemed to radiate.. pride and power.

His arm was hooked with a smaller woman, who was also tan, her dark-red hair pinned up beautifully. She looked rather.. cunning. Antonio swallowed a bit. He didn't trust her all that much.

Trumpets sounded again.

"Presenting, her Royal Highness, princess Francesca of the Green Mountains!"

A girl walked over, standing by her parents. She was very beautiful, her golden-blonde hair curled and decorated with silver. Her purple dress was decorated with silver thread and swirls. But even with all her decorations, Antonio noticed the glint of mischief in her eyes.

Ramon and Isabel smiled, welcoming the king and queen. Isabel beckoned Antonio over so he could meet the princess. Antonio joined his parents' side, looking at the princess. A small nudge from his father made Antonio step closer to greet Francesca.

The prince swallowed his nervousness away and bowed at her, just like he had been taught. "Welcome to our kingdom, your highness. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hearing no greeting back, Antonio looked up to see that Francesca had her nose in the air, her gloved hand out. It took a second for Antonio to understand, but then he nodded and took her hand, pressing a kiss on the top of it.

"Thank you." Her answer was rather.. sharp. High and mighty. Antonio let go of her hand and straightened up, feeling like he didn't like her either.

So this was his future wife. She seemed rather stuck-up. Antonio looked at his parents, who were now conversing with Francesca's parents.

"How about we let the children play together for a bit, so they can get to know each other?" Ramon suggested, bringing all the guests inside.

Antonio grabbed his mother's hand, almost pleading her to stay with his eyes, but Isabel just patted his head and gently pushed him in the direction of Francesca, who now was sitting on a bench, looking bored.

"Go play, cariño. Get to know her~"

And with those words, Antonio was alone in the garden with Francesca. It was silent for a while. Neither of them spoke. They just watched each other for a while. To ease the tension, Antonio sat down next to her, watching the pond.

"We'll get married in 8 years," Antonio mused softly, just to break the silence. "Isn't that a strange idea?"

"Not really. My parents are in an arranged marriage too." Francesca stood to study a statue. "So I'm not surprised I will be too."

Antonio watched her walk around the statue. "Well.. I don't think our marriage will be an arranged one. Mother said you and I will fall in love. Eventually at least.. Then when we're 18, we'll marry out of true love."

"True love? Tsk. As if." Francesca snarled. "Love doesn't mean anything. Money is the important thing in life. When I'm queen, I'll be just as rich and powerful as my papa. And every other kingdom will fear me!" She proudly puffed her chest out.

Antonio frowned, standing. "Why would you want to make other people afraid? Being friends is way more fun, right? You know what, let's change the subject. How about we go play tag?"

"Tag? Tsk. You're such a child. I'm not getting my dress dirty." She crossed her arms in a huff.

"We don't have to.. We can play something else…" Antonio muttered, trying to think of another game they could play. But in all honesty, he wasn't sure he even wanted to play with this girl. She was mean.

"Playing is for children like those peasants we rule over. We're above the common rabble. We'll have to rule this place one day. Best to start acting like it already." Francesca's voice was a sneer. She harshly shoved Antonio aside to walk back into the palace, leaving the prince standing there all hurt.

Antonio watched the princess go, feeling dread in his stomach. If this was the girl he was going to marry, he didn't want to get married. Antonio went to sit down on the bench again, hugging himself.

He sniffled a bit, only looking up when he heard the soft hooting of Gabriel as the owl fluttered down to sit on his knee. The prince gently pet the owl, tears dripping down his face.

"…She's awful, Gaby.. Spoiled and mean.. And what she said about becoming queen.. I'm afraid she'll have wars all the time once we get married.. I don't want that..!"

Gabriel gently nuzzled his hand and got closer to nuzzle against his friend, hooting softly as if to comfort him. He seemed to understand, at least.

Soft twinkling made Antonio look up and wipe his eyes. 3 shimmering rays of light fell from the sky into the garden, forming three fairies. Antonio quickly sat up straight a bit. His parents had told him that the three fairies who gave him his wishes would be attending his tenth birthday as well.

"Hello Antonio. It's good to see you," Sanne smiled, curtsying for the prince.

"Oh, you've grown into such a handsome young man~" Bella cooed, ruffling Antonio's hair. She chuckled a bit when Gabriel curiously pecked at her hand.

"Indeed you have~ Now, we've come to see if the first wish has come true." Ida mused, smiling proudly.

Antonio forced a small smile, standing with Gabriel on his shoulder. "Yeah.. The first wish has come true. I've met my soulmate, who I'm destined to marry."

When the fairies happily chattered about it, he dropped the smile, feeling the dread come back full force. "She's awful! She's spoiled, mean, and she doesn't even care about love!"

The fairies fell silent, confused. Antonio sniffled a bit. "She even said that she'd make every country afraid once she's queen. I don't want to marry her, she scares me!"

Bella and Ida gently hugged him, comforting him, while Sanne just stood there flabbergasted. "…This never happened before. I've never had a wish of mine not come true."

"Didn't you focus 100%, Sanne? You know wishing takes concentration." Bella sighed.

"Of course I focused, I always focus, you don't actually think I would-"

A loud explosion made everyone jump. Antonio let out a small scream and ran off in fear, Gabriel still on his shoulder. The fairies tried to go after him, but a low cackle made them look back.

"Pathetic. You guys seriously are pathetic," Alice chuckled, crossing her arms. "Wishes from good fairies. Pa-the-tic."

The three growled angrily, trying to not get Alice's words get to them. "…What do you want, Alice?" Sanne huffed, putting her hands on her sides. "Haven't you tortured the king and queen enough already?"

"I just came to see if your silly wish had come true, my dear Sanne~ It seems like it didn't. Like I expected."

"My wishes always come true!" Sanne protested, nearly stomping her foot in anger.

"Ha! You call that spoiled little brat his soulmate? Just accept it already, your wish failed. Your wishes will all fail, and mine will come true~"

Bella stepped forward. "I bet they won't fail! Your wish won't come true! Antonio won't die!" She was shaking a little, but it wasn't clear if it was from anger or fear. Perhaps both.

A smirk spread across Alice's face. "You bet, you say?~ Very well then, I'll join in your bet. I bet my magic is more powerful than yours. I bet that none of the wishes you gave the prince on his birth feast will come true. And if none of them come true, I'll turn you three into pigs."

The three fairies swallowed in fear, but then Ida stepped forward. "But if they DO come true.. All three wishes.. But your wish doesn't.. then.. then.. then you'll have to explode!"

Alice laughed. "Seriously? You have that much faith?~ Alright, fine. If the impossible happens and the brat does get kissed awake, I'll explode. Deal?" She held out her hand.

Without even thinking twice, Ida grabbed her hand and shook it. "Deal."

The sky rumbled a bit. The deal was sealed. The bet was made. There was no going around it now. The three wishes had to come true.

Or else the royal kitchen would serve pig during Antonio's funeral.


	3. Chapter 3

_~7 years and 364 days later~_

It was the last evening before the prince's 18th birthday. The whole kingdom had been busy the whole day with preparing for the giant feast that would take place tomorrow. Cakes had to be baked, clothing had to be sewed, decorations had to be put up. Everything had to be in the best shape for the royal wedding.

Antonio had grown into a fine young man over the years. He resembled his father in stature, yet still held the kindness and gentleness in his eyes from his mother. But right now, his eyes were saddened and distant. The seamstress putting the last touches on his wedding suit looked up at him in slight worry.

She understood his sadness. The whole kingdom would understand his sad look. During these 8 years, Francesca had visited many times with her parents. And she had grown more spoiled, more cruel, more focused on money and luxury. Even the smallest child in the kingdom knew she was marrying Antonio for his money, not because they were in love.

And Antonio hated her. He was no longer afraid, he just loathed her. Her fake acts of kindness made him shudder in disgust. And tomorrow, they would be wed. Because it was meant to be. All because of some wish. He just wished he could marry someone else. If he could, he'd marry-

"Your Highness, your father has asked for you."

Antonio looked over at Francis, who just walked in. He gave a nod. "Thank you Francis. I'll be there shortly."

Francis gave a bow and left again. Antonio thanked the seamstress for her hard work, and put his normal clothes back on before heading out the door.

Gabriel, who had been sitting on a perched stand, flew after him, sitting on the prince's shoulder. Antonio smiled faintly and stroked the feathers under Gabriel's chin with his fingers. At least his best friend was still there for him.

Antonio soon reached the throne room, where his parents were waiting. Isabel smiled gently and walked over to her son, gently fixing his hair.

Ramon seemed to swallow a bit, before smiling and joining his wife's side. "Antonio, my boy. Your mother and I wanted to give you something. An early birthday gift. Or an early wedding gift. Either way.. Here."

He gave Antonio a small golden box. Once Antonio opened it, there was a beautiful pendant in the shape of a golden cross. In the middle of the cross was the symbol of Nadrid; A bull.

"It's.. It's beautiful." Antonio carefully took it out of the box, studying it. Isabel smiled. "It's been in the family for generations. Your father wore it at our wedding. And now you can wear it at yours."

Antonio stared at the pendant, forcing a small smile. "Thank you, mother. Thank you, father. I'll wear it with pride tomorrow." He placed it back in the box, closing it carefully.

Tomorrow. It seemed so far away, yet so close. It scared him a bit.

Isabel gently stroked her son's cheek. "I'm sure you must be tired from this hectic day. How about you go to bed? You need your rest for tomorrow."

Sleep did sound nice. Antonio gave a nod and gave his parents a quick hug. "Good night mother, good night father."

"Goodnight, Antonio. Sleep well."

The monarchs watched their son go with a sigh. Isabel turned to Ramon, shaking a bit. "Ramon, I'm frightened.. What if it doesn't work? What if we wake up in a hundred years and our baby is.. is.."

"He won't. I'll make sure of that." Ramon gently stroked his wife's hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I've taken measures. I've sent every knight to gather every spinning wheel in our kingdom. Tonight, they will all be in the fire. Our son won't prick himself. He can't die if he doesn't prick himself."

"..You promise he'll be alright..?" Isabel whispered quietly.

"I promise. And even if in some freak accident he pricks himself, Francesca will kiss him awake when we all wake up in a hundred years. It was Ida the Inspiring's wish, remember?"

Isabel gave a small nod, still a little unsure. But what was the worst that could happen? The fairies' magic would protect Antonio.

* * *

That night, the king and queen stood in the courtyard. A giant pile of spinning wheels was standing in the middle of the courtyard. The last ones were placed down on the pile by a few knights, who stepped back.

Ramon held Isabel's hand, the both of them holding torches. Giving eachother a small nod, they held their torches against the pile, setting the whole thing ablaze.

The night was silent except for the loud roaring of the fire, reaching up to the sky. Isabel felt a small bit of relief inside of her as she watched the flames destroy the very things that threatened her son's life.

"..Everything will be alright now, right..?"

Ramon and Isabel turned around to see Antonio standing there, wrapped up in his dressing gown. The light from the flames reflected in his eyes a bit as he looked at his parents.

"Antonio, what are you doing out of bed..?" Isabel asked worriedly, half wanting to bring him back inside, away from the burning spinning wheels.

"The.. smoke woke me up." Antonio muttered a bit, avoiding the question. He watched the burning pile, stepping a little closer. Ramon and Isabel quickly stopped him, afraid he might accidently touch a stray spindle. It was past midnight, for the coming 24 hours Antonio's life would be in danger near spinning wheels.

"You should go back to bed, cariño. Everything will be alright." Isabel reassured him, lightly pushing him back to the door. Antonio blinked, but then gave a sigh and nod, going inside after hugging his mother.

Ramon watched his son go. Something inside him told it hadn't been the smoke that woke his son. Alice's curse must've been calling the prince to come to the spinning wheels. They had to be careful.

"Alfred, stand guard by Antonio's room." He ordered quietly. The knight nodded and walked after Antonio. Ramon stared thoughtfully into the flames. Today would be a long and fearful day.

* * *

By the time the sun rose, the feast was ready to begin. Ramon smiled as he got dressed, looking at his wife as she got dressed as well.

Isabel smiled as well. Today was the day. Antonio and Francesca were getting married. The second wish would come true. And Alice's curse would be avoided. They had made sure of that, the lingering scent of smoke reminded them of the fact.

The guests soon began to arrive, and Ramon went to check up on his son to see how far along he was.

Antonio was already dressed in his suit, and Feliks, the royal hairdresser, was brushing and combing away happily to make the prince look perfect for the wedding.

Yet Ramon could detect the hint of sadness in his son's eyes when he came in. "How is everything coming along here?"

"Oh, just perfect, your majesty! His Highness will look perfect at the altar!~" Feliks mused happily, smiling at the king.

Ramon smiled and nodded, walking over to his son. "Look at you. 18 years. Oh, I remember when you were born like it was yesterday~ And now you're getting married to your soulmate~ Time flies, doesn't it?~"

"It sure does." Antonio smiled a bit at his father. There was the glint of sadness again. Of grief. Ramon decided to ignore it. Today was a happy day! Today was a wedding! His son would finally be happy.

After a while, Feliks was done. "You look very handsome, your highness! Oh, your bride will be so happy!"

"Yeah.. My bride." Antonio looked at himself in the mirror. "I'm sure she'll be very happy, yes. Thank you, Feliks."

"You're welcome, your highness!'

"Come. Best not keep your bride waiting now~" Ramon smiled, patting his son's shoulder. Antonio nodded and stood, quietly instructing a servant to bring Gabriel's perch along.

They walked to the throne room together, where the wedding would take place. All the guests were there, their gifts stalled out on a table. For some reason, Antonio has received a lot of vases. The three fairies had been given front seats, as they were guests of honor. Gabriel's perch stood next to them, the owl watching everything with them.

Ramon stood by his son as they waited for the bride. As soon as the bridal waltz sounded, he noticed the prince swallow. He was probably just as nervous as his parents. It was finally going to happen now.

Francesca walked in, her father at her side. She was wearing a beautiful white dress with a long silk veil, the skirt decorated with silver and pearls, and her hair pinned up with just as much luxurious decorations.

She stopped by Antonio's side, giving him a loving smile. Nobody noticed the quick flash of pain in the prince's eyes, too wrapped up in this moment. The second wish was going to come true now. Alice's curse wouldn't come true. Everything would be okay.

However, a sudden small explosion of smoke by the nearly-weds made everyone jump. When the smoke dispersed, Alice stood there, holding a gift and a sad expression.

"What are you doing here?! Come to sabotage everything?! Well, it won't work, because Antonio is getting married right now!" Ramon snapped angrily.

But Alice merely shook her head. "N-No.. No, I've come to apologize. I should have never been so rash. I'm just so lonely, and your parties are so.. amazing. I just wanted to be invited for once. I.. I hope you can forgive me. I know it's not much, but I brought a gift for the groom."

The king and queen seemed a bit conflicted, but Antonio stepped towards her. Forgiveness and kindness was a lesson his parents had taught him very early on.

"If you truly regret your actions, you're free to be here as a guest. Do you regret your curse?"

"I do, your highness. I do.." Alice whispered, tearing up a bit. Antonio smiled gently. "No need for tears then. You're welcome here, Fairy of the Night."

"Oh thank you, your highness. Please, accept this humble gift."

Antonio took the beautifully decorated gift with a polite nod. He looked at his parents. "It'll be fine." He mused at seeing their conflicted expressions.

"I don't trust this.." Bella muttered, crossing her arms. The three fairies watched as Antonio opened the box, pulling something out, the glint of a sharp spindle.

"WATCH OUT-!" Ida cried, but it was too late. Antonio dropped the small spinning wheel with a pained yelp, watching the droplet of blood well up on his finger.

And then he collapsed, no longer moving.

It was like time slowed down. Everyone gasped in horror at seeing the spinning wheel, but then began to yawn. The whole court began to blink sleepishly, slowly falling to the ground or slumping over in their chairs, falling asleep.

Alice's crocodile tears had disappeared, her expression turning to a smirk. She stepped over the sleeping body of the king, poking the seemingly dead prince with her foot. Getting no reaction from him, she began to cackle.

"And that's the second wish not coming true!~ Oh dear, you three really have to step up your game~"

"That was a low trick, even for you." Sanne snarled. "Yeah, using his kindness against him!" Bella snapped, going over to the prince to see if he hadn't hurt himself while falling down.

"All in fair in love and war~ I'll see you three twits in a hundred years~ I look forward to eating pork at the brat's funeral!~" Alice laughed, disappearing.

The three fairies looked at eachother, feeling fear grip at their chests. What if things didn't work out? What if Francesca's kiss wouldn't wake Antonio up?

"We.. We should get everyone comfortable." Sanne whispered quietly. Her younger sisters nodded solemly, using their magic to get the whole court into a comfortable position.

Bella gently placed Antonio on his own bed upstairs, stroking his hair. "…" She flew off to help her sisters around the castle.

The servants who hadn't been at the wedding had also fallen asleep. The cook had fallen asleep with the frosting for the cake still in hand, a few maids were dozing in a puddle of water which had poured out of the cleaning bucket. The gardeners had fallen asleep into rosebushes or in the middle of a flower patch. The stable manager and the stable boy had fallen asleep in the hay, next to the horses.

Everything was quiet. Even the surrounding village around the castle was fast asleep. No talking, not laughter, no yelling. Only soft breathing and snoring.

The three fairies looked at eachother, sharing the same thought. Time for 100 years of watching over all these people.


	4. Chapter 4

((*pulls this chapter out of my hamster cheeks, dries it above the fires of rage from 'Guest', and polishes it with some Spite™* Alright. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter ^^))

~100 years later~

The years had been kind to the whole kingdom. Nobody had aged a day, all because of Ida's spell. Except for the cobweb here and there, the three fairies had an easy job protecting everything.

Today was going to be the day everyone woke up. Including Antonio. Sanne wiped the last cobweb off of Ramon's nose and placed her hands on her sides.

"Well, it'll happen any minute now."

"Yeah. I'm kind of nervous. It's finally going to happen~" Bella smiled. "How's Antonio?"

"Looking beautiful and kissable~" Ida mused, flying over to her siblings. The three all smiled happily, looked at the sleeping people.

"Hello, idiots~"

The fairies jumped at the sudden voice of Alice. The fairy of the night stood there, smirking.

"I see the years have been a little rough on you three~" She mused, looking at the fairies' dresses, which had been dirtied with dust and ripped at places because of age.

The three nearly snarled, but then just crossed their arms at the fairy of night. "Just what do you want, Alice?" Sanne huffed.

"Your measurements~ So I can properly turn you three into little stupid piglets."

"How can you be so sure you're going to turn us into piglets?" Bella asked, trying to look tough.

Alice just laughed. "Because where's the proof your wishes will come true?~ You really think this little brat is going to kiss our little prince awake?~" She grabbed Francesca by her hair, lifting the sleeping princess up by it. Francesca didn't stir.

"This isn't his soulmate. It's never going to work~ And soon enough I'll prove my point. So you three better prepare yourselves to roll around in the mud~" Alice dropped Francesca with a snicker, and disappeared.

Ida flinched lightly and made sure the princess was okay. She looked at her sisters, swallowing a bit.

"…You really think this is going to work..? What if-"

"Don't let her get into your head. It WILL work. I know it will." Sanne insisted, helping her sister back to her feet. She looked around the room, at all the sleeping faces, and at her nervous sisters.

She hoped to the gods she was right.

A sudden sound made the three fairies perk up. A yawn. They watched as king Ramon slowly stretched, rubbing his eyes. Queen Isabel followed, clinging to her husband a bit with a groan. Then king Julius rolled over onto his stomach, pushing himself up with a confused mumble. His queen sat up, blinking in confusion.

"..Ow.."

Francesca rubbed her head, frowning as to why her scalp hurt so much. Slowly, everyone woke up, yawning and mumbling sleepishly. Queen Isabel was the first one to be completely coherent.

She stood to her feet, pulling her husband up as well. "Come on! We.. We have to.. Antonio, he.. Francesca!" She stumbled over to the half-awake princess, pulling her to her feet. "Come on, you have to go wake Antonio!"

Francesca stared at her future mother-in-law, and the coin seemed to drop. She quickly dusted herself off and fixed her hair. She nodded eagerly and looked at her parents, pulling them to their feet as well.

"Come on!"

Everyone made their way up to Antonio's room, Francesca and her parents in front, Ramon and Isabel following them with Gabriel perched on Ramon's shoulder. The fairies flew after them, slightly nervous.

As soon as the door to Antonio's room was opened, everyone gasped. Alice sat there on one of the fancy chairs, watching the sleeping prince on the bed.

He looked almost angelic like that. His hands were folded on his stomach, and he was laid down in a half-sitting position, supported by soft pillows. If one didn't see the small rising and falling of his chest, it would look like he was dead and put on display for people to say goodbye to him.

"You!" Ramon roared at Alice, ready to grab his sword and cut the fairy of the night in half for tricking his son. But Isabel stopped her husband, glaring at Alice. "…Why are you here?"

Alice snickered. "I've come to see if our beloved prince needs a grave~ I'd be willing to make one for him~ Only the best for our crown prince~"

"You son of a-!" Ramon looked ready to explode, but then Francesca cut in. "He won't be needing a grave. I'm going to kiss him awake, and then we'll get married. Once that's done, as the new queen, I'll ban you and your kind out of my kingdom."

Alice blinked but then smirked. She stood and gave the princess a mock bow. "Alright then. Show me how wrong I am, _princess._ Show me what a terrifying queen you'll be~"

Francesca gave a huff and walked over to the bed. Everyone watched as she sat down on the bed next to Antonio, getting ready to kiss him.

The princess kind of stared down at Antonio for a moment. This was the kid she met 8 years ago. Well.. more like 108 years ago now. The kid that seemed so sure they would rule their kingdoms together peacefully and with kindness and love. That they would never have wars. But wars were needed, right? And a king and queen needed to be the leaders, they had no time for peasant things like.. love.

She had yelled at him at their first meeting. She hadn't been very kind or loving. No time or need for such things, according to her father. They were soulmates, destined to marry. It was fate that they would be together, no need to fight for his affection. Why didn't Antonio understand that? She could never change his mind about things. And even when she tried his way later on, he just looked.. uncomfortable.

They had never really been friends. Nor lovers. Would this work? Yes.. Yes, of course, it would. It was fate. It was the wish of that fairy. They were bound by fate, by destiny, by blood, and by magic. The kiss would work.

Francesca leaned in, cupping Antonio's face in her hands. She could feel his almost absent breaths on her lips, and she closed her eyes for a moment. And their lips touched.

She pressed down a little to make it a real kiss. It felt.. weird. Unnatural. Like kissing a corpse. She mentally counted to 3, and pulled back, opening her eyes and waiting to see Antonio's eyes open.

But nothing happened.

Francesca frowned, and tried again. Still nothing. No moving, no sound, not even a flutter of his eyelids. She tried again, longer this time, trying to force his mouth open with her tongue to kiss him passionately.

Nothing.

She pulled back, looking at her parents, suddenly feeling panicked and scared. "It's.. It's not working.." She stammered, scared of her father's reaction. Ramon and Isabel were staring at the scene, clearly scared as well.

"Then try again! It HAS to work!" Julius snapped at his daughter. Francesca tried again, beginning to shake. Tears were welling up.

"Please.."

Kiss.

"Please wake up.."

Kiss.

"Antonio, please.."

Kiss.

"Wake up!"

Kiss.

"YOU IDIOT, WAKE UP!"

She smacked him across the face, tears streaming down her cheeks. There was no reaction. Antonio's head merely rolled to the side from the force of the slap. Feeling fed up, Francesca stood from the bed, looking at the three fairies.

"Why isn't it working?!"

The three fairies stammered, just as shocked as the princess. "W-We don't know, it was supposed to work!" Ida cried, looking at her two sisters. "Yes, you were supposed to be the one!" Sanne said, looking back and forth between Francesca and Antonio, hoping that the reaction was just delayed, please for the love of God.

"WELL CLEARLY I'M NOT!" Francesca yelled, shaking violently. The three fairies flinched from her anger, looking away in shame.

"Well, well, well~" Alice suddenly cooed, walking over to the three fairies. "Seems like your wishes didn't come true~ And you know what that means~"

The three stepped back in fear. "No.. No, please.." Bella begged, staring at Alice, pleading with her eyes to have mercy.

"What..? What's going on here?" Ramon asked. Alice gave a smirk and grabbed the three fairies by their hair.

"These three made a bet with me~ That if their 3 wishes didn't come true, I'd turn them into piglets~ So that's what I'm going to do now~"

"B-But.. But what about my son? What's going to happen to my son?!" Isabel asked, shaking with worry and fear.

Alice just gave the queen a cold look. "Nothing. Well, maybe a funeral. He's dead, you twat."

Isabel froze in place, but then screamed in grief, falling to her knees. Not again, not again, she lost another baby again. Tears streamed down her face. Her baby was dead. Not again…

Ramon just seemed to shut down, slowly helping his wife to her feet and holding her close with an unreadable expression on his face.

In the commotion of grieving people, Gabriel suddenly flew off with a shriek, out the window. Maybe it was his way to grieve. To not be near the corpse for a bit.

Alice just huffed and threw the three fairies to the ground, ignoring the wailing queen. She first turned to Sanne. "Let's start with you.. _Sanne the Sympathetic~_ "

She held her hands out, speaking a spell. Sanne's body began to contort, and she screamed as the transformation began. Face deforming, body growing smaller and fatter, limbs turning to stout little legs, dress ripping under the pressure. Soon enough, there was a pig sitting there among the scraps of red fabric.

Bella and Ida gasped in horror at seeing their big sister like that, knowing that was their faith.

"Your turn next, _Bella the Benevolent~_ "

Bella shrieked when Alice turned her spell on her next, feeling the same pain as her sister. Ida tried to crawl away, staring fearfully as a second pig appeared, sitting there shaking under some green fabric.

Alice smirked and raised her hands at Ida. "And last, but not least.. _Ida the Inspiring~_ "

Ida clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the pain of the transformation, just waited for it all to be over, until she suddenly heard the door to the room slam open.

"WAIT!"


	5. Chapter 5

_108 years ago~_

A garden filled with love is a beautiful garden. That's what his father always said. Talk to the flowers, tell them stories. Praise the fruit trees for growing so well. Make a friendly chat with old oaks, like they are your grandfather. So he did. Each day since he could walk and talk, he'd waddle and skip around the garden, talking and chatting with the plants he and Papa were taking care off.

"Today there's a party." He told the carnations. The red flowers always seemed to listen the best, even better than the daisies and roses. "Prince Antonio is turning 10 today. And according to Papa, he is supposed to meet his soulmate today. I.. I hope he finds them. And that they're nice."

There was no real reaction from the flowers. It was so quiet here. Papa had been invited inside the palace. He wasn't. He was too young. There would be alcohol, and he wasn't allowed to drink that according to Papa. He just had to look after the garden.

So he did. He told the weeds to grow somewhere else before removing them, trimmed the hedges and told them their new haircut was looking beautiful. He was working on the last hedge when an explosion from not too far away made him jolt. There was a big cut in the hedge now, but he could fix that later. He quickly apologized to the hedge, and ran off to see what that explosion was about.

But as soon as he stepped out, someone bumped into him. The two of them fell over backwards from the force, both of them yelping in pain.

"S-Sorry!"

He looked up to see a young boy around his age sitting there. He looked important, his clothes were obviously a sign of his nobility. Yet his bouncy brown curls were messy. Maybe he was one of the guests. A son of a duke or something. Tears were welling up in his green eyes as he sat there, clutching his bleeding hand.

Oh no, he had cut himself on the sheers. He quickly helped the crying boy to his feet. "C-Come on you idiot, my Papa has something for the bleeding." He pulled him along to the little hut where he and Papa lived. It was when he opened the door that he realized his Papa was still at the palace. Crap. Well, maybe he could help this boy out himself.

He set the noble boy down on a stool and dug through Papa's cabinets. Finding some cloth and a small bottle, he went back to his guest. The boy was just sitting there, an owl perched on his shoulder. Where the bird came from, he didn't know, but at least it seemed tame.

"Hold out your hand, I'll help." He instructed. The boy held out his bleeding hand to him after some hesitation. After gently wiping most of the blood away with the cloth, he poured some of the liquid out of the bottle on the cut. The noble boy yelped in pain, gritting his teeth. The owl shrieked and spread its wings, lowering itself like it wanted to claw at him.

But the boy just held his non-injured hand up. "N-No, Gaby, it's okay. He's just helping." He looked at his savior. "W-What's that stuff..?"

"It's an iodine mixture. I think. It stings, but Papa says it can make all the bad germs get out of a wound." He bandaged the cut, and looked over his handiwork. It was messy, but it would do for now.

"There. All better."

The boy looked at his bandaged hand, and smiled through his tears. He felt his heart skip a beat a bit. This boy had a really nice smile.

The noble boy let his owl look at the bandage as if to let the bird inspect it. Getting a gentle hoot, the boy giggled and looked at the gardener's son again.

"Thank you. I.. I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Antonio."

Oh crap, he just helped the prince? Oh, and he ordered him to do things, called him an idiot! This was bad! He quickly bowed to the prince, shaking.

"I-I'm sorry for accidentally cutting you, your highness!"

Antonio merely blinked. "I-It's okay. It was an accident. I kinda ran into your sheers to be honest. If anything it's my fault. You don't have to bow or be sorry."

He slowly stood up straight, feeling a little awkward. What would the prince even be thinking right now? Some dirty little gardener's son had taken him to his small and messy hut, and put some old rag around his hand to stop the bleeding. How he wasn't disgusted with him was beyond him.

Antonio smiled a little, looking around the hut. "..You have a nice home. It's cozy."

"T-Thank you, your highness-"

"Please don't call me that. It's stupid. My name is Antonio. And I still don't know your name, silly~"

He smiled lightly. The prince seemed actually very nice. "Well, my name is.."

 _105 years ago~_

"..Francesca is just so.. so…" Antonio paced around in the small hut, trying to come up with a word.

"Spoiled? Annoying? She's a bitch?"

Antonio stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend in slight shock. But then he began to laugh.

"Amigo, you are way too rash with your words!~" He chuckled, sitting down next to him. "..But yes, she is a bitch. Couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes she isn't worth the regal words."

"Ah well, that's what I'm here for. To fill your prissy royal vocabulary with peasant words."

Antonio chuckled and looked up at his friend a bit. "..I don't think their peasant words. They're your words. I like speaking your words."

A blush creeped up on his face, making the prince laugh. "Aww, did I make you blush?~"

"S-Shut the hell up, or I'll.."

 _102 years ago~_

"..kiss me."

The words had come very unexpectedly. He looked at Antonio, very confused. "…W-What?"

"You heard me. I want you to kiss me." Antonio had grabbed him by his shoulders, staring into his eyes. "..I.. I want to know if it's really that big of a deal. When Francesca does it, it feels.. weird. Maybe it's a fluke with her. But.. I wanna try it with you. Please?"

"Antonio, I.."

"Please? Just this once. I just want to know."

He swallowed, looking into those beautiful green eyes. One kiss wouldn't hurt. It was just for experimentation. Right, yes. Not because he wanted too as well. Just one kiss. Only one kiss.

Yet when their lips met, he knew it would never be just one kiss. This simple touch set his whole body on fire. One kiss, fuck that. He wanted two kisses. No, three. Four. Five. Ten. Twenty. Fuck, he wanted more. He wanted all of the kisses.

And so did Antonio. They could both feel it. How amazing this simple touch felt, how they both made this simple kiss turn into something more heated and passionate. How one kiss turned into a touch of skin, how that turned into slowly merging with each other, how that turned into lying on his bed together, how that turned into his longing to hear Antonio scream his name into his pillow in ecstasy again and again, just like he did now.

In the afterglow of this encounter, Antonio had touched his face, stroked his cheek, kissed his forehead, and with tears in his eyes, he spoke.

 _100 years and 1 day ago~_

"..Te amo."

"I know. Yo también te amo." He replied softly, holding his prince close.

Antonio held him closer, sniffling into his neck. His suit was hanging there, finished for tomorrow. For the wedding he never wanted to come.

"It's not fair.."

"I know, Toño.."

"I don't love her, I love you. Why is fate so cruel..?" He looked up at his lover, sniffling as he felt those calloused fingers gently stroke his tears away.

"Fate isn't always cruel, just to us right now."

Antonio huffed a bit and hid his face in the other's chest. "Fate is making you sneak into my room through the window just so the guards don't stop you. Fate is making it impossible for us to be together. Fate is stopping us from marrying each other."

"…Who's to say fate is stopping us from marriage..?"

Antonio looked up at his lover, confused. But then he seemed to understand. He smiled. "…Are you planning what I think you're planning?"

"Perhaps. I'll be here just before midnight. Make sure to look nice."

Antonio smiled brightly and nodded, kissing him deeply and pushing him back down on his bed. "Gods above, I love you."

"I love you too, Antonio. So very much."

Those were the last coherent words from both of them for a while, as they kissed and moved together, loving each other to the point of Antonio sobbing his lover's name as they reached their boiling point.

The encounter was quick, as always, and soon enough Antonio had to say goodbye to him at the window. They shared a quick kiss before he had to climb down the vines. He looked up at his prince, smiling.

"Be ready by midnight, my prince."

And his prince nodded back, smiling. "I will."

 _That night~_

"..I do." He smiled, letting Antonio tie the woven bracelet around his left wrist. One of the two bracelets he had kept in a drawer just in case, to seal their bond. They were hidden in the garden, preforming their secret wedding. No priest needed right now, they made their eternal promise to the moon and stars.

He held Antonio's hand, looking into his eyes. In the distance, they could hear the church bells sound midnight. "Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, do you take me as your husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, until death do us part..?"

"I do.." Antonio smiled through his tears, letting him tie the bracelet around his wrist.

"..And now's the moment where you kiss the bride, huh?~" He chuckled, leaning in to kiss Antonio. Antonio chuckled and kissed him, holding him close.

"I don't mind being the bride as long as it's with you. I'm your bride, and I wouldn't want to be anything else right now."

 _100 years ago~_

He stared at the castle from where he was working in the garden. There was music playing. People from all countries had come to see Antonio get married to Francesca. It hurt to even think about it, let alone be in there. So he had politely declined the king's invitation to join the party.

At least the bracelet hugging his wrist gave him some comfort. Along with the knowledge that Antonio was wearing his right now too. He may be getting a ring soon, but the bracelet was there first. Antonio was married to him in heart.

The thought comforted him as he pulled out the weeds by the carnations, still gently telling them to grow somewhere else. He rose to his full height to grab the water can when suddenly he felt dizzy.

For a moment, he thought it was merely blood not fully rising to his head yet because he had been on his knees for so long. But the dizziness didn't stop. Sudden tiredness made him stumble. Maybe he had to sit down, or..

He didn't even manage to finish the thought. Blackness invaded his vision and his knees crumbled, making him fall over into the carnation bed. The last thing he saw before the strange sleep overtook him, was a beautiful bright-red carnation with little golden specks being pushed towards him by the gentle wind.

 _Present day~_

Something was tugging his hair. Giving a confused groan, he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. What just happened..? He barely got time to ponder, for he felt something peck his hand kind of hard.

"Ow! What the hell..?!"

A shrill hoot was his answer. He looked down to see Gabriel sitting by him, pecking his hand, tugging at his sleeve. He seemed nervous, wanting to take the gardener somewhere. He stood, letting Gabriel sit on his arm.

"W-What... What's wrong Gabriel..?"

A loud hoot, and a jerk of the owl's head towards the castle. Gabriel held his sleeve with his claws and flapped his wings.

"You want me to follow you..?"

Another hoot.

"Okay, I'll follow you. Bring me to where you need me to go."

Gabriel hooted and flew off, leading him to the castle, up the big stairs, to Antonio's room. Inside he could hear crying, and pained screaming which slowly turned into the panicked squealing of a pig.

Whatever was going on, it wasn't good. He ran over to the door, reaching for the doorknob. He could hear a female voice sneer something, but he didn't care what. He just knew he had to stop her.

He threw the door open with a yell.

"WAIT!"

The first thing he noticed was the fairy dressed in black, holding her hands out to a scared fairy dressed in blue. Then he noticed the two pigs sitting there, shaking in fear. Then there were the eyes of all the nobles in the room on him.

But none of all these sights mattered as much as seeing his prince there on the bed. His Antonio, lying there like a sleeping angel. He wanted to run over and hold him close, but the king's surprised question made him freeze in place a bit.

"…Lovino?"


	6. Chapter 6

((I dedicate this chapter to the person who has been checking this story every day for the whole month of May. I love you, thank you for being a great fan.))

* * *

"..Lovino?"

"The gardener?"

"What's he doing here?"

Lovino swallowed a bit, suddenly feeling a rush of bravery. He stepped forward to his king and queen. "Please, your majesties, give me a chance to save your son's life."

Getting a confused look, he added on. Even though saying these words in a room filled with nobles that would surely judge him scared him, he explained his reasoning. "Antonio and I are in love. We have been for a long time. We even snuck off to get married in secret at the night of his 18th birthday. Look! This bracelet is a symbol of our love!"

He held up his left wrist to clarify. Isabel blinked and looked at her son's wrist, shocked to see the same bracelet hugging the prince's left wrist. She stared at the gardener, wide-eyed.

Lovino swallowed. "I.. I know I'm not the perfect candidate for your son. But I am the one he needs! Please, just let me try to wake him. If it doesn't work, I'll leave and never return."

Ramon frowned. "And how are you so sure you're his soulmate? How do we know this'll work? For all we know, he's lying."

"No, he isn't," Ida said, going over to Lovino. "..Lovino, when did you meet Antonio? What day?"

"..His 10th birthday.." Lovino said, a little confused at first. Ida began to beam, giving Alice a quick look before turning back to Lovino again.

"And you said you got married in secret. At how late did you both tie the knot?"

"Just after midnight, so Antonio's 18th birthday had already begun." Lovino grinned, beginning to realize the same thing as the fairy.

Ida smirked and turned to Alice. "They met at his 10th birthday. That means Sanne's wish DID come true~ And they technically got married on Antonio's 18th birthday~ That means Bella's wish came true as well~" She stepped closer to the fairy of the night with each word, making Alice clearly uncomfortable.

"And if he kisses Antonio awake after his 100-year sleep, it means MY wish will come true as well!~"

Alice looked furious. Ida just giggled and looked at Lovino. "Lovino, kiss him!"

Lovino smirked and went to make his way over to the bed, but was stopped by a very pissed off Alice, who held him by his collar.

"Not so fast, you stupid green thumb. First, we're going to test how brave you really are. If you love the little prince so much, prove it."

She pushed him to the ground and held out her hands. Everyone and everything was pushed to the side, leaving a large open area in the room with only Lovino in the middle, along with one of the small stone dragon statues Antonio had.

Alice smirked as she moved her hands around. "Let's see if you have the courage to save him." She threw her magic at the statue. The stone dragon grew in size, the stone began to crack. Lovino crawled back a bit in fear as the dragon stretched and growled at him, blocking his way.

Everyone gasped in fright and horror. Oh, this thing was going to kill the gardener for sure. Lovino was almost frozen in fear, slowly standing to his feet. How on earth was he going to do this..?

"Don't just stand there, fight that monster!"

Lovino jumped a bit, catching the sword that was tossed into his hands. Francesca, who had pulled her father's sword out of its sheath and tossed it over, merely gave a nod. Lovino returned the nod, and got in a stance.

He probably wasn't holding the weapon correctly, he probably looked like an idiot with a death wish, but he was determined to kill this monster and save his prince.

The dragon roared angrily, taking the challenge it saw. It began going over to Lovino, teeth glimmering in the dim light. Lovino raised his sword and swung at the beast with a yell, only managing to make a cut on its cheek. It was clearly taunted by that, for it raised a claw to swing at Lovino, who barely managed to jump aside.

And so the battle began. Lovino swung and stabbed at the dragon, adrenaline and determination keeping him standing. The dragon snapped its jaws at him, swung its claws at him, intent on killing the gardener.

Lovino was covered in scrapes by now, there was a cut on his cheek, and he knew that if the adrenaline wasn't flowing through his veins, he'd probably faint. But he didn't dare give up. Giving another determined yell, he swung at the beast.

Suddenly, he was knocked down by one of the dragon's claws, the sword's blade breaking in two. A horrible pain shot through his arm as the dragon's jaw locked around his upper arm.

He couldn't even scream, just opened his mouth and grimaced in agony as the dragon shook its head like a dog taking better hold of its prey. Lovino noticed he was still hanging onto the sword, so he quickly grabbed it in his non-dominant hand.

And then he brought it down, stabbing the dragon into the top of its head. The beast released him with a pained roar, giving Lovino the opportunity to quickly grab the broken off blade, stabbing that into the dragon's brain as well.

The room went silent as soon as the dragon fell, and its eyes went dim. But then all the nobles burst out into applause. A few ran over to congratulate Lovino, some took a closer look at the dragon. Ida rushed over so she could heal Lovino's wound.

Lovino ignored them all, let Ida heal his wound a little, and then pushed the nobles aside so he could go over to the bed.

His whole body was shaking. Finally, there he was. His prince. His love. His Antonio. Lovino almost felt like he was too low to stand here, covered in blood and sweat. But he knew everyone was watching now, everyone was counting on him. He leaned in, gently kissing Antonio's lips.

It was like he finally came home. This is where he belonged. With Antonio, gently touching him like the treasure he was. Almost reluctantly, he pulled back, watching Antonio's face, wanting to see those beautiful green eyes again.

The seconds slowly ticked away. Lovino swallowed. Was.. Was this not working..? No.. No, it couldn't be.. He felt tears well up. No.. No, Antonio couldn't be dead. This couldn't have not worked.. He went through so much, dammit!

Sniffling, he hugged Antonio's body, holding him close, hiding his face and sobbing into Antonio's chest. There was a heartbeat, so he couldn't be dead! Then why wasn't he waking up? Why wasn't he moving? Why wasn't he saying anything? Gods, he'd give anything to hear Antonio's voice right now..

"..Lovi..?"

Yes, like that. Just like that. He'd give anything-

Wait.

Lovino shot upright, eyes wide, tears still streaming down his cheeks. It.. It couldn't be.

But it was. Antonio was blinking his eyes open, clearly groggy and confused. He frowned a bit, worried, slowly reaching for Lovino's face and wiping his tears away.

"..Lovi.. why are you crying..?"

A relieved sob left Lovino and suddenly he didn't give a fuck about all these prissy nobles watching. He flung himself forward, kissing Antonio like he'd never done before, holding him close like he'd disappear.

Antonio yelped a bit in surprise, but kissed back, clinging to Lovino. Once he pulled back, Antonio noticed all the nobility watching them. He froze a bit. Uh-oh, now everyone knew about his and Lovino's secret relationship. Oh no, what would his parents say?

But to his surprise, his parents just rushed at him to hug him tightly. His mother was stroking his hair, kissing his face, sobbing happily. His father was crying as well, holding his son close and blabbering in relief.

Antonio let it happen, but stared at them in confusion. "What… What just.. Why are you crying, what happened..?" He asked, looking back and forth between his mother and father.

"We thought you were dead!" Isabel sobbed. "The curse, we thought it had come true, that we lost you! Oh, but thank the Gods, you're alive! Ida's wish worked!"

"It sure did!~" Ida laughed happily, ruffling Antonio's hair. "Your true love has kissed you awake after your 100-year death-sleep~"

"..True love..?" Antonio looked at Lovino, both of them beginning to blush and smile. They were each other's true love. To think Antonio had spent 8 years complaining about his fiancé, wishing for another soulmate… and he had been there next to him all this time. The lover he wanted was the lover that belonged to him all along.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!"

Everyone jumped. They had nearly forgotten the fairy of the night was there in the room with them. Alice was fuming with rage, pointing a shaking finger at Ida and her two sisters, who were standing protectively in front of the royal family.

"You.. You cheated!"

Ida let a Cheshire cat grin appear on her face. "Cheated? Us? Oh, no, no, no~ We did exactly as our bet said. Our 3 wishes all came true. So now…" She had stepped closer again. "..You burn up~"

Alice opened her mouth to protest, but as soon as the words had left Ida's mouth, the black robes began to smoke, the hem of her skirt caught fire. Alice let out a scream, trying to pat the fire out, but nothing worked. The bet had been lost, and this was her punishment.

The entire court watched in slight horror as Alice went up in flames, leaving only a small pile of ashes. Sanne and Bella began to glow, returning to their original forms.

The 3 fairy sisters embraced each other, laughing in relief. They did it. They won the bet, brought two lovers together, and defeated the fairy of night.

There was a sudden loud crash as Gabriel's stand fell over, the owl smacking down on the ground. Antonio quickly jumped out of bed to hold his friend, hoping the bird hadn't hurt himself.

His eyes widened when Gabriel suddenly began to grow in his arms. He backed away, watching how wings turned to arms, how a beak turned to a mouth, how feathers fell to the ground to reveal human skin.

Soon enough, instead of an owl, there was a young man sitting there on the ground, flabbergasted. He looked to be in his early twenties, and he greatly resembled the prince. The only difference was, he had Ramon's golden-brown eyes.

"..Gabriel?" Antonio whispered, confused. The man blinked at him, looking at his own hands, at his whole body. He suddenly smiled brightly, nodding at Antonio.

"Hello, little brother."


End file.
